Over the years, gaming has evolved. And so has EA Sports’ flagship football-based simulation game. From the first instalment, FIFA International Soccer (which came to be known as FIFA 94), to the latest instalment, FIFA 17, the video game has come a long way.
Its popularity has soared over the years. So much so that the word FIFA is synonymous with the video game and not with football’s corruption-tainted governing body that licenses it. It is probably the only game other than Mario and Tetris that attracts people who have little interest in gaming.
It is EA’s long-term planning and successful implementation that can be attributed to the game's success. To reproduce every aspect of real-life football and capture all of the aesthetic pleasures of the sport, pixel by pixel in the game is no easy thing.
In every instalment, the best players in the world of that particular year are rated higher than the others. In the latest edition, FIFA 17, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo took on the mantle of the highest rated player when he earned himself an overall rating of 94. Coming off the back of a very successful season, he deserved to be the highest-rated player in the game.
But who has been the highest-rated player in the game the most number of times?
Also read: 5 former FIFA superstars with surprisingly low ratings in FIFA 17
It is interesting to note that this was the first time since FIFA 10 that a player was able to dismantle Lionel Messi from the throne. The Barcelona superstar has been FIFA’s darling, topping the ratings charts for seven consecutive years. In fact, no other player comes even close.
Ronaldo was the highest rated player in only one instalment (FIFA 09) prior to FIFA 17. And for that, he had to win the Champions League, the Premier League and score 42 goals in a season.
The others who have managed similar feats are former Brazilian superstar, Ronaldinho, and Italian legend, Gianluigi Buffon. While Ronaldinho topped the charts in FIFA 06 and FIFA 08, Buffon had managed to do the same in FIFA 05 and FIFA 07. In Buffon’s case, however, the goalkeeper shared the honour both times – with Thierry Henry in FIFA 05 and with Wayne Rooney in FIFA 07.
The following is a comprehensive list of the players who have been rated the highest in FIFA:
| Player | Number of times | Year |
| Lionel Messi | 7 | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 2 | 2009, 2017 |
| Ronaldinho | 2 | 2006, 2008 |
| Gianluigi Buffon | 2 | 2005, 2007 |
| Luis Figo | 1 | 2002 |
| Matteo Brighi | 1 | 2003 |
| Ronaldo Nazario | 1 | 2004 |
| Thierry Henry | 1 | 2005 |
| Wayne Rooney | 1 | 2007 |
